I Will Run Wild

The Pacific War from Pearl Harbor to Midway

By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

Narrated by: Lance C Fuller

Bloomsbury presents I Will Run Wild by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, read by Lance C Fuller.

This fascinating volume offers a vivid narrative history of the early stages of the Pacific War, as US and Allied forces desperately tried to slow the Japanese onslaught that began with the sudden attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

In many popular histories of the Pacific War, the period from the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor to the US victory at Midway is often passed over because it is seen as a period of darkness. Indeed, it is easy to see the period as one of unmitigated disaster for the Allies, with the fall of the Philippines, Malaya, Burma and the Dutch East Indies, and the wholesale retreat and humiliation at the hands of Japan throughout Southeast Asia.

However, there are also stories of courage and determination in the face of overwhelming odds: the stand of the Marines at Wake Island; the fighting retreat in the Philippines that forced the Japanese to take 140 days to accomplish what they had expected would take 50; the fight against the odds at Singapore and over Java; the stirring tale of the American Volunteer Group in China; and the beginnings of resistance to further Japanese expansion. In these events, there are many individual stories that have either not been told or not been told widely which are every bit as gripping as the stories associated with the turning tide after Midway.

I Will Run Wild draws on extensive first-hand accounts and fascinating new analysis to tell the story of Americans, British, Dutch, Australians and New Zealanders taken by surprise from Pearl Harbor to Singapore that first Sunday of December 1941, who went on to fight with what they had at hand against a stronger and better-prepared foe, and in so doing built the basis for a reversal of fortune and an eventual victory.©2020 Thomas McKelvey Cleaver (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Critic reviews

Authoritative and colourful—a must-read account of the initial phase of the war in the Pacific.

I Will Run Wild paints a vivid picture of the first six months of the Pacific War, with the Japanese frantically trying to achieve a quick victory and the Allies desperately hanging on by their fingernails. Tom Cleaver deftly illustrates the strategy of the sprawling Pacific War through the stories of the men who staved off catastrophe and bought America time to strike back.

We have all heard stories and details of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Flying Tigers, the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, and the Battle of Midway. All these have generated classic and modern movies that make us feel like we were there. We know all about this important history, or do we?…This valuable book details a compelling story of US and Allied forces, with antiquated airplanes, bravely facing combat-experienced Japanese pilots in superior airplanes. But the production might of the US quickly stepped up and supplied the new airplanes, carriers and pilots needed to turn the tide.

I Will Run Wild is a fascinating glimpse into the early days of the war in the Pacific. Meticulously researched, this is a compelling story of individual sacrifice against the backdrop of vast impersonal conflict, a work that stands shoulder to shoulder with the literary tradition of Herman Wouk and Samuel Eliot Morison.’

Very informative

I have read and listened to numerous books about WW2 in the pacific and this ranks among the best.

Great book. Awesome research.

Loved the content. Hock full of detailed research and some teally great stories. Content was really remarkable.

Unfortunately the reading performance left me grinding my teeth. So many mispronounced words, curious inflections, and strange cadence made it a tough listen.

Almost stopped in the first few chapters to just buy a hard copy to read it myself. I will be avoiding this “performer” in the future.

Excellent book, great detail, gotta get used to the narrator

A comprehensive look at the early days of WW2. From Pearl Harbor to Missy. Great references to early fighting in Dutch East Indies, Philliines, and Australia.

The author uses facts an d many first person interviews to tell this rarely told WW2 tale

I recommend the detailed story that brings you into history.

I will Run Wild

You can not beat true history, we can not ever forget or disbelieve the past our parents and grandparents lived through so we may be here and enjoy the freedom they provided for us.

fantastic

really good mix of factual timeline with personal stories of the experiences... well performed and most importantly well researched